A Guide to Tipping Across the Globe, in One Map

Editor Shannon McMahon is always planning her next trip and often writing in her travel journal. Follow her on Twitter @shanmcmahon_ and on Instagram @shanmcmahon.

Shannon joined SmarterTravel in 2015. A former news reporter, she's lived in the south of Spain, walked around much of Europe, spotted elephants in Sri Lanka, and gone spelunking in the Caribbean. Travel trends, news oddities, and her visits to up-and-coming destinations are some of her favorite things to write about.

Her stories have also appeared online on Boston.com, USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, blog.TripAdvisor.com, and more. Her educational background is in journalism, art history, gender studies, Spanish, and film. She's always open to movie suggestions.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Plenty of extra thick hair elastics. They tame my frizzy curls and come in handy in a surprising number of packing and hotel dilemmas."

Tipping for services is a tricky part of traveling—and one that could cost you undue money (or some awkward encounters) if you don’t do your research. But it’s now easier than ever to find out how to tip in your next destination. One guide to tipping even lays it all out in one interactive map; bookmark it for those moments when you’re wondering how much to leave.

Tipping Around the World

Travel insurance provider Go Compare compiled a map of how to tip by country, dubbed Tip Advisor. The map offers tipping recommendations for taxis, hotels, and meals, as well as a pronunciation guide to saying “thank you” in the local language.

Related:

There are 50 countries or regions represented on the map, ranging from tourist hot spots across Europe to more niche destinations like Tunisia and Macau. Note that the map will only appear on desktop screens, and is replaced by a handy list of clickable destinations on mobile devices. To use the map, simply click on a destination’s icon for a one-glance guide to tipping. On the mobile site, the same information appears when you click a destination from the list.

Americans are notorious for over-tipping, probably because the U.S. is one of the only places where patrons are expected to leave 15 to 20 percent of the bill for tipping at restaurants. Most European destinations include service charges in the bill, while destinations in Asia and Africa, like India and Egypt, have tipping customs of about 10 percent for most services.

Related:

Other tip-happy destinations you might not know about include Cuba, Turkey, and Poland, where tipping 10 to 15 percent is customary for meals. In the U.K., it’s typical to leave around 10 percent, while many European nations suggest simply rounding up on your bill if you’re happy with service. On the other end of the spectrum, in China many restaurants and drivers won’t accept tips.

No matter what you leave, though, don’t forget to use the local version of “thank you.”

Trending on Smarter Travel

SmarterTravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. SmarterTravel.com also participates in the SkimLinks and SkimWords affiliate programs.